Running from the Devil - Jamie Freveletti

“After you marched out they came back and blew it sky-high. I ran before it exploded. I followed you because I didn’t know what else to do, and I was afraid of that man in the truck.”

“The one in the shirtsleeves? He was a bad one, for sure. But the skinny one is crazy. He beats someone every day. Oh! That reminds me.” Gladys reached into a pocket of her dress and pulled out a rosary. “I’ve said a prayer every day since we’ve been captured.”

Emma eyed the rosary. It was made of heavy beads that looked like onyx. A large silver engraved cross hung from the bottom. “Your rosary is beautiful.”

Gladys held it up for Emma to see. “It was a gift from Charlie, my sister’s husband. One of the guerrillas tried to take it, but I told him God would curse him if he did.”

“And he stopped? Didn’t he realize what he’s doing to all the hostages is far worse than stealing a rosary?”

“You’re in Latin America now. Christianity is strong here, and it coexists with shamanism, santería voodoo, you name it. Guerrillas can be very superstitious. He didn’t want to mess with such a powerful symbol.” Gladys fingered the rosary and sighed. “Charlie was a good man. I pray for him, too.”

“Then I’ll leave you to it. I want to head down the path a little. Perhaps there’s a stream nearby and we can get some water.” Gladys nodded and closed her eyes. Her fingers ran over the beads, one by one, and Emma watched as her lips moved in the silent ritual prayers assigned to each.

Emma ran for half an hour. No water anywhere. No food, either, at least nothing that she could identify as edible. She eyed a few caterpillars hanging out on a tree. If worse came to worst, she supposed she could eat them. She would have preferred some plants first.

She spun around and ran back to Gladys. She found her lying in the same spot next to the tent, sweating profusely and gasping again. Emma grabbed some more foxglove out of her pocket. Tore the leaf in half and handed it over. Gladys chewed, this time without grimacing. After fifteen minutes, her breathing took on a more regular rhythm.

“That was a close one,” Gladys said.

Emma didn’t know what to say. Gladys needed a hospital, and soon. The foxglove wouldn’t work for long. Eventually Emma would overdose her by mistake, or the combination of a lack of food and water coupled with her heart condition would stress her body to the breaking point. These problems weren’t immediate, however.

Their immediate problem was one of logistics. Gladys couldn’t walk far, Emma needed to leave her if she was to forage for food, and each hour that passed meant that Gladys’s condition would worsen. Emma warred with the idea of pushing Gladys to rise and walk with her, or to leave her there with the tent and her remaining packets of food while she herself continued to trail the passengers in the hopes of coming upon a village.

“What are you thinking about?” Gladys’s shrewd eyes were on her again.

“What to do next. We need food and water, and we’ll get neither by sitting here.”

Gladys shifted. She waved Emma over. “Help me up.”

“Are you sure you should move? Perhaps we should rest.”

Gladys waved Emma off. “I’m feeling better now. We should move while I can. Sitting here gets us nowhere.”

Emma collapsed the tent. She took Gladys’s elbow to steer her down the path. They slogged forward. Emma found the slow pace excruciating. Gladys leaned heavily on her arm. She’d put the rosary in her pocket, but every so often she removed the beads and worried them about with her fingers. They stopped every half an hour to allow Gladys to rest.

The rains came in the afternoon. Emma hurried to place her tray out before scurrying underneath the leaves of a palm tree. She sat next to Gladys. They both stared at the plate as it filled.

“Is the tall man with the dark hair still alive?” Emma said.

Gladys frowned in thought. “You mean the handsome one? Shredded navy polo shirt?”

“That’s the one. I think his name is Cameron Sumner.”

Gladys nodded. “He’s an interesting man. He helps the weaker ones when he can, but he doesn’t say much. Seems he’s always thinking. You can almost see the gears turning in his head. And the skinny one hates him.”

“How do you know?”

“The skinny one spends a lot of time staring hate at him. Hate flows from the skinny one like a waterfall.” Gladys shook her head. “He’s the devil, that’s for sure.”

When the rain ended, the plate was half full. Emma let Gladys drink first.

“That was wonderful.” Gladys said. “I’d kill for a cigarette just now.”

Emma laughed. “I’d kill for a helicopter to come and take us away.”

“That, too,” Gladys said. She grew serious. “Emma, you need to leave me behind.” Emma started to protest, but Gladys put up a hand. “I’m slowing you down. It doesn’t do either of us any good if you continue to drag me along. Eventually you will run across a village. Those kidnappers are headed somewhere safe for them, but there’s a good chance they will pass through a village on their way.”

Emma sighed. “I know. They must be marching the passengers to a ransom point with some sort of modern communication and food. They need to eat just like the rest of us, and their packs are getting emptier each day, right along with mine.”

Gladys nodded. “That’s right. You’re not afraid?” Her warm eyes filled a little.

Emma patted her on the arm. “I won’t lie to you, I’ve been a mess this past year, but I’m not about to give up. I’m going to dog their tracks, leave markings all over the trail, and with any luck get both of us out of this situation.”

Gladys clapped her hands. “Good girl! I like a woman who knows what she wants.”

Emma smiled. “Come on. Back on your feet. A village could be right around the corner. You should walk as far as you can. It’ll be good for you.”

Gladys heaved to her feet. “You sound just like my doctor. ‘Gladys, quit smoking, Gladys, quit eating.’”

“Gladys, start walking,” Emma said.

Gladys rolled her eyes and started to move.

The path opened up into a green expanse at the base of the mountain. Emma gasped at the beauty of the little field, surrounded on three edges by jungle, with the mountain rising from the far end. Neat rows of bushes that looked like vines in a vineyard stretched almost a quarter mile on the small, flat expanse. The cultivated rows of crop ran in perfect parallel lines. The plants rippled in a slight breeze, and flashes of sunlight sparkled off the green leaves.

“Emma, look at this crop. There must be a farmer somewhere nearby. We’ve been saved!” Gladys clutched Emma’s arm in a death grip. Her breathing hitched.

“Calm down. You’re going to make yourself sick. Sit a moment.” Emma lowered her down onto a nearby boulder next to a tree. She bent down and checked the crop.

Coca. The narrow leaves looked like any other wild weed. Emma found it hard to believe that such a harmless and unassuming-looking plant could cause such misery and heartache the world over.

She straightened up and shaded her eyes against the sun. No farmer worked the fields, for which she was thankful. Whoever owned this field would not be the sort that Emma would want to meet up close and personal.

“Gladys, this is coca,” Emma said.

Gladys’s face turned grim. “So not a nice farmer.”

“No,” Emma said. She saw a glint of light off to her right. A tin roof flashed in the sun. She pulled the remaining foxglove out of her pocket.

“Take these. There’s a hut off to the right. I’m going to check it out.”

Gladys shoved the leaves into her pocket. “Be careful. Don’t let them see you. Oh, dear.” She pulled her rosary out of her other pocket and started rubbing the beads like mad.

“Saying a prayer for me, are you?” Emma said.

Gladys nodded. “Always, dear girl.”

Emma gave her a swift kiss on the cheek. “Just stay put,” she said. She patted Gladys on the arm and moved away. She skirted the tree line, doing her best to stay in cover.

The field showed signs of being newly plowed. A cash crop, lovingly tended. The sound of a truck engine shattered the peace. Emma jogged back to the tree line and made her way over to Gladys. The sound of the approaching engine grew louder. She ran faster, stumbling over roots jutting out of the earth near the tree line. She’d left Gladys all alone, and the engine sounds were coming from that direction.

She was too late. At thirty feet from the little area where Gladys sat, two men, both dressed in gray T-shirts and both carrying assault weapons, stood next to a battered truck with wooden slats for sidewalls on the bed. Gladys stood facing them. She stood at an angle from where Emma hid, which gave Emma a good view of her profile. She talked to the men, punctuating her words with elaborate hand gestures. She mimed smoking a cigarette.

One of the men snorted, grinned at the other, and pulled a crushed pack of Marlboros from his front pocket. He shook out a cigarette and offered the box to Gladys. She snagged it and wasted no time placing it between her lips. The other man stepped forward with a cheap plastic lighter and lit the cigarette. Gladys inhaled, deep. Emma moved closer.

“Thank you, boys, you have no idea how much better that makes me feel,” Gladys said.

The man with the cigarettes chattered at Gladys in Spanish. Gladys gave an elaborate shrug.

“Bogotá? I’ll pay mucho dinero,” Gladys said.

The cigarette man shook his head. “No Bogotá.” He barked out a name. Gladys cocked her head. “I know about that town. It’s one dangerous place, señor. Mucho dangeroso!” Gladys’s Spanish was a disaster, but the man seemed to understand her. He pointed his weapon at her.

“Whoa!” Gladys said. She bent forward in a fit of coughing.

Gladys, stay calm. Emma almost said the words out loud. She could tell that Gladys’s heart was racing. Nevertheless, the woman finished with her coughing fit and took another huge drag off the cigarette.

“Hospital?” Gladys said.

The man shook his head. He pointed to the truck’s bed. It was clear he wanted Gladys to get in. He grabbed her arm. Gladys yanked out of his grasp.

“Okay!” She held up her hands in surrender. The cigarette jutted out from her index and middle fingers. Emma watched the smoke rise into the air. Gladys never relinquished her grasp on the cigarette. She turned her head in the direction of the field and dropped to her knees. She clasped her hands together, as if to pray. Instead, she threw her head back and yelled to the sky.

“Emma, if you can hear me, I’m going with them, but you stay put. The second man here was at the airstrip with the killer in shirtsleeves. He’s taking me to a town controlled by the paramilitary. But I need to ride, I just can’t walk anymore.”

The man yelled at Gladys and grabbed her by the arm. This time he didn’t let go until she was directly in front of the flatbed. He shoved her toward it.

“Okay, keep your shirt on,” Gladys said. She waved at the back and mimed opening the hatch. “Can you lower it?”

The man made an irritated sound and lowered the back door. Gladys heaved her bulk onto the flatbed, never relinquishing her hold on the cigarette. The man slammed the hatch closed, waved at his buddy, and crawled into the truck’s cab.

Emma heard the gears grind as the engine turned over. She felt tears gather in her eyes. Gladys leaned out of the back of the flatbed. In her hand was her beloved rosary. The truck wheels spun on the soft earth. The rosary swung in the sudden movement. Gladys dropped it on the ground.

“For you, Emma!” she yelled into the air. “It will give you the strength to continue. Don’t give up, dear girl. I’ll pray for you every day.” Gladys waved, and Emma waved back, even though she knew Gladys couldn’t see her. Emma watched the truck disappear in a swirl of dust and smoke. Gladys continued to wave as it drove out of sight.

Emma wiped her eyes, walked over, and retrieved the rosary. The cross sparkled in the sun as it swung from side to side. Despite her anger at the omnipotent being the rosary represented, she felt like it was a talisman. She shoved it in the cargo pocket of her pants and started across the field.

Emma plodded down the rows, keeping her eyes lowered, taking care not to smash the plants with her feet. The ever-present sun beat on her head, and little puffs of dirt rose around her feet with each step. She heard the distant roar of a small airplane. She craned her neck to look into the sky. The roar got louder. The plane was flying low.

Drug plane or rescue team? she thought. The plane came into view. In one second she heard the roar but saw nothing. In the next the plane was upon her. It flew so low that it seemed to touch the treetops. As soon as it cleared the jungle it descended even lower, while a mass of black dust poured from a tank in back.

Emma’s heart did a flip. “Hey! Over here!”

She screamed and waved her arms. The plane flew right at her. She threw herself down as it roared over her head. The chemicals landed on her in a huge, choking cloud. Her throat closed in protest and water streamed from her eyes. She heaved a breath and then started to cough. The chemical scorched her mucous membranes, and the inside of her mouth was on fire. It sprinkled into her hair and layered over the cut that she’d gotten on her head during the plane crash. The cut burned as the chemical chewed into her skin.

The plane turned around and flew back at her. The dust poured again, covering the entire coca field in black sediment. It passed over Emma, once again enveloping her in a cloud of chemicals. Her lungs burned. She opened her mouth to breathe. She sucked in the harsh chemical, and her stomach rebelled. She retched, but nothing came up, thanks to the meager rations she’d eaten. She dry-heaved over and over.

The plane flew away.

The dust cloud cleared. The field of coca, previously so green, now looked black. Emma sat up and shook the black granules off her skin. She plucked a leaf off a nearby coca plant. She shook some of the herbicide off the leaves onto her palm, and took a closer look at it.

The granules looked like glyphosate, a typical herbicide used in agricultural applications, but it was mixed with a surfactant of some sort. Emma couldn’t identify it. The surfactant would assist the herbicide to penetrate the waxy surface of the leaves. It would also turn the EPA-approved herbicide into a concoction deadly to humans, plants, and animals. The coca would die, but so would everything else in the jungle.

“Asshole!” Emma yelled into the air. “Kill everything, why don’t you?”

Emma staggered into the jungle. She needed to get the herbicide off her skin before it entered her system through her pores. The mud she’d spread all over would act as a temporary barrier, but the surfactant would eat its way through it soon enough. She watched the sky. It had rained daily since her ordeal began, so she hoped that it would again, and soon. She felt her panic rising as she used a stick to scrape the mud off her. She felt terrible dropping the herbicide on the ground where it would poison the dirt, but she had no choice.